Agent Orange investigation stuck at square one

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The first bilateral research programme between the United States and Vietnam to investigate the health and environmental damage caused by the herbicide Agent Orange remains stuck on the starting blocks a year after it was agreed.

In March last year, the two nations signed a memo formally establishing the joint programme to research the effects of the herbicide, which was sprayed by US and Republic of Vietnam forces during the Vietnam War in the 1960s (see US and Vietnam join up over Agent Orange).

But so far the countries have failed to set up the joint advisory committee needed to run the initiative, to approve areas for support or to thrash out the ground rules for the project.